


Letting Go

by katieB_29



Category: Diagnosis Murder
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 08:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3644262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katieB_29/pseuds/katieB_29
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when you get your happy ending, but it’s nothing like you expected…because it’s even better than you could have ever imagined?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I always wondered what happened to Steve and Jesse after the series ended. Maybe this?  
> For C, and all of the people who wonder "what if?"  
> Not beta'd/ Please be kind!  
> As always, I do not own the characters, etc.

Jesse Travis shifted back and forth in his seat, turned the light on and off, repositioned the air vent and clicked his seatbelt open and closed several times. (When was this stupid plane going to take off, anyway?)

“Jesse!” reprimanded Paul Jensen, the handsome, dark-haired man sitting next to him. “Stop fidgeting! I know you’re excited to go to Mark Sloan’s retirement party, but you’re acting like a five-year-old on Christmas morning.” His tone had been gently mocking, but when he received no response, Paul turned to see Jesse’s normally mischievous eyes full of sadness and tears. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I was just teasing. What’s wrong?”

Jesse didn’t meet his eyes. “I’m sorry, Paul. I _am_ excited, but it’s not just that. I’m nervous about seeing Steve.” Jesse voice dropped to a whisper and he turned away and stared out the window.

“Jesse, we’ve been partners for five years now, and you never have told me why you don’t like to talk much about him. What really happened between the two of you?”

Jesse gazed lovingly into Paul’s intensely blue eyes and felt a wave of affection and love wash over him. “You’re right. It **is** time I told you, but it’s a _long_ story.”

Paul gestured around the small cabin. “As you can see, I’m a captive audience. Take as long as you like.”

Jesse took a deep breath, kissed him gently and began his tale.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there is such a gap!  
> Always remember:  
> 1\. I don't own the characters, etc. etc. etc.  
> 2\. This is not beta'd, so please be kind...

You could have filmed my first few weeks in California to use in a movie. It was the standard rom-com story-Midwest boy arrives on the West Coast and falls in love almost immediately with the sun, the surf and the beautiful weather. When I wasn’t at the hospital for my residency, which was not too often, I was enjoying the ocean. When I was in the hospital, Mark Sloan took me under his wing right away and all at once I felt that fatherly warmth I had been missing in my life. Amanda was like the big sister I never had. Even though the work was hard, the hours were long and I was often exhausted, I was having the time of my life.

I thought life couldn’t get any better until the afternoon Mark invited all of the new residents to his house on the beach for a cookout. We were having a blast when we heard a voice call

“Hey Dad, I’m home. Where are you?”

I knew it was Mark’s son, Steve. I had heard stories from Mark and Amanda about Steve’s skill as a cop and all of the adventures and scrapes they had gotten into helping him investigate his cases, but I wasn’t prepared for finally meeting him. He walked onto the deck, and I swear my heart almost stopped! This tall, gorgeous blond walked in and grinned broadly at everyone.

Mark rolled his eyes. “This is my son, Steve, everyone. Evidently he has forgotten his manners“

“Sorry Dad. Hey everyone, welcome to the beach house!” He walked to the cooler-which was right next to me-and reached in to grab a beer. He turned to me and offered his hand. “Steve Sloan.”

I gulped-those gorgeous blue eyes! “Jesse Travis, nice to meet you.” (For god’s sake, Travis, you’re a doctor, not a star struck teenage girl!)

“So you’re the latest group to be pulled in to Mark Sloan’s web.” He laughed.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, just that my dad likes to nurture his students like they were his own kids. Especially the ones he thinks have the most promise. But you didn’t hear that from me.” He winked. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around, Jess.” As he walked away I was so grateful I had the railing to lean on, because I had never been made so weak in the knees by anyone. And he called me Jess. No one called me that, but I would have listened to him say that all day long!

I must have had a weird look on my face because Mark walked over to me and said in a concerned tone, “You OK, Jesse?”

“Oh yeah, just a little tired.” (Oh, and smitten by your incredibly handsome son, thank you.)

“Well, that’s to be expected. The first weeks are the most tiring. Until the weeks after that. Then it’s downright grueling.” Mark clapped me on the back and laughed. “Now let’s go mingle with the other students.”


	3. Chapter 3

After spending some time with Steve, and noticing all of the women he hit on, asked out and dated, I realized I was wasting my time pining over him, so I threw myself head on into helping out with all of his cases, so I could see him as much as possible. Every minute I spent with him was exquisite torture, but I couldn’t stop myself. Every chance I got I was over at the Sloan house or tagging along on cases, or, if I was feeling especially desperate, showing up at a crime scene even when Steve told me to stay away.

I knew I was irritating him sometimes, but my mind went into little kid mode. (He may be yelling at me, but at least he’s talking to me. Oh, god, please grab my shoulder for emphasis again! Focus those angry blue eyes on me) He usually couldn’t stay mad at me for very long. He would usually try to reprimand me, but his lectures about interfering in police work and jeopardizing my safety usually ended with him giving me an exasperated smile and a soft shove with his elbow, or, when I was especially lucky, an arm casually flung over my shoulder.

Everyone thought I was really excited to practice my sleuthing skills, and I was, but no one seemed to pick up on my ulterior motives. I found it ironic that Steve with his detective skills and Mark with his powers of observation could not see how far gone I was. I fooled myself into thinking it was because I was so good at hiding my true feelings, but in reality, it was probably just masked by the normal chaos of the hospital and police work. Or maybe they were too polite or weirded out to say anything-either way, I was a mess. I felt like I was going through what I thought an addict must experience. The more I saw him, the more I needed to see him, to talk to him, to touch him. Every time he was near I felt a warmth in my chest that vibrated and spread through me like liquid gold. I knew the dangers I was headed towards, and how close I was getting to obsession, how I was tempting fate, but I didn’t care. It felt so good!

The funny thing about reality though, is that it has a way of destroying even the most carefully crafted fantasy worlds. I learned this lesson the hard way when I was accused of and put on trial for murder.


End file.
